There are, in use today, numerous types of window top treatments, characterized as either "hard" or "soft". Examples of the "hard" or structured treatments are the cornice board, lambrequin, and the cantoniere. Each of these treatments uses a unit which is made of rigid material and which has front, top, and side members of varying lengths, to which decorative fabric or material is attached which follows the shape and form of the unit. The "soft" treatment is exemplified by the valance, which is the most often used due to its simplicity, variety, economy, and versatility.
In general, a valance is a decorative fabric arrangement used as a top treatment over windows. It can be made in a variety of fabrics and styles, with the fabric itself hanging from a horizontal support unit positioned above the window. Other than the attachment of the fabric to the support unit, there is no additional fabric supporting hardware and thus the fabric has an unrestricted freedom to give a soft, draping, unstructured appearance.
The support unit may have any of a number of forms, such as rods, rings, hoops, swag holders and the like, none of which, however, allows creation of the "Georgian" style of drape which is, by far, the preferred treatment although there are numerous other styles New or contemporary or casual styles may also be desired. The Georgian style is most easily achievable where the support unit is a single rigid horizontal mounting board to which the fabric is attached. Because of its simplicity, such a mounting board has generally been made of a single piece of plywood or other suitable wood, such as, for example, pine. However, the use of wood presents numerous problems. The piece of wood, or plywood, must be sufficiently thick to withstand bending under the load of heavy hanging fabric, which results in an unduly heavy board that, in turn, requires heavy mounting brackets. In addition, even with sufficient thickness, the wood board is still subject to warpage. Wood is also permeable to moisture, which leads to warpage, generally has a distinctive odor, and is attractive to insects. Additionally, in a valance type arrangement, the bottom surface of the wooden board and especially the grain thereof is visible from below, thus, detracting from the overall appearance.
Usually valances are custom ordered from, for example, a drapery workroom. The workroom generally uses a plywood or pine board and covers it with white lining fabric, attached by the staple gun, for example. The white lining covers the underside of the board so that the wood is not visible. The decorative fabric is then cut and sewn to the desired pattern and attached to the top of the mounting board by staples, tacks, brads, nails, or other suitable means. L-shaped brackets of metal or other suitable material are either joined to the board as by screws, or are supplied with the finished valance for the installer to mount on the wall above the window and then to join the board thereto.
When such a valance is custom made, it is sometimes several weeks between order and delivery, and the completed valances can be quite expensive. As a consequence, it has become common for the homeowner or other user to assemble the valance on a "do-it-yourself" basis. The steps involved in producing a valance on such a basis are substantially the same as those performed by the drapery workshop, except that the individual must gather all of the components on his or her own prior to assembling and installing the valance. Not only is such a procedure tedious and time consuming, but cutting and sewing the fabric by someone less than an expert can produce catastrophic results.
For example, a board having the requisite stiffness and resistance to warpage must be cut to the desired size, such as, for example, from thirty-eight inches (38") to forty-two inches (45") in length. The board must then, in order to hide the wood surfaces, either be painted or covered with white lining fabric, preferably tacked or stapled in place. Mounting brackets must then be attached to the board. The brackets must be configured such that they can be attached to the board without interfering with, or obtruding onto those surfaces of the board to which the decorative fabric is to be attached.
The decorative fabric may then be mounted to the board and then brackets affixed to the wall containing the window, or, in some cases, to the window molding. Alternatively, the board and brackets may be mounted and then the decorative material applied. In either case, the process of placing and affixing the board is awkward and made even more difficult because of the weight of the board and bracket assembly.